Be an Expert Who Teaches
Forty practical ways to be an expert who teaches, building trust by helping customers understand and decide well.
Teaching earns trust. Explain simply and kindly.
40 tips that really help
These ideas come from They Ask, You Answer (Marcus Sheridan), Made to Stick (Chip Heath and Dan Heath), Influence (Robert Cialdini), and On Writing Well (William Zinsser), and everyday practice. The first six help the most. Pick one and try it today.
The seller who teaches wins
Think of the best teacher you ever had. You trusted that person without being pushed. When you teach customers to understand their problem, you become the person they trust.
Choose one thing your customers often misunderstand. Prepare a two-minute explanation in plain words, and offer it in your next conversation.
Explain it so a ten-year-old gets it
Simple words are not for simple people. They are for busy ones. When you explain things so a ten-year-old could follow, your customer feels clever and relaxed.
Pick one idea from your work and explain it aloud in under thirty seconds with no jargon. Test it on a friend, and shorten it if they frown.
Tell a story, not a list
A list of facts is forgotten by morning. A story is remembered for years. When you teach with a short, true story, the customer sees the lesson in action.
Think of one real customer story that shows a lesson. Write it in four sentences: the person, the problem, what was done, and the result.
Teach before you sell
Most sellers pitch first. A trusted advisor teaches first. When the customer gets value before they pay anything, they lower their guard and listen.
In your next first meeting, share one useful idea before you mention your product. Notice how the mood changes.
Say "I do not know" and gain trust
No one knows everything, and customers know it. A calm ‘I do not know, but I will find out’ shows strength. It makes your other answers more believable.
Practise saying ‘I do not know, but I will find out by tomorrow noon.’ Use it the next time you are unsure, and keep your promise.
Answer every question like a gift
A customer’s question is a gift, because it shows what they are thinking. Welcome each one and answer it fully. They will feel respected, and they will ask more.
In your next meeting, thank the customer for each question before you answer it. Answer fully, and then ask, ‘Did that help?’
One small lesson at a time
A mind that receives too much remembers nothing. The best teachers give one idea at a time. Each small lesson is a step on a staircase.
Pick one idea from your next meeting. Teach only that, check it landed, and save the rest for another day.
The one-page guide customers keep
A one-page guide with five simple points can sit on a customer’s desk for years. Every time they see it, they think of you. It teaches while you sleep.
Choose one question customers ask often. Write a one-page guide with a clear title and five short points, and send it to one customer this week.
Ask what they want to learn
The best teachers ask their students first. ‘What would you like to understand better?’ gives you a map. You teach what matters to them, and they pay full attention.
Ask one customer, ‘What is one thing you wish you understood better about this?’ Write down the answer, and teach that next.
How teaching leads to a natural sale
Teaching is the kindest way to sell. When customers understand their problem and options, the next step feels natural. They ask you, ‘So what should I do?’
At the end of your next teaching moment, ask ‘Would you like me to show how this could work for you?’ Then listen to the answer.
Host a small workshop
A small workshop is six customers, one hour and one useful topic. Nobody feels sold to, because everyone is learning. They leave with a new skill and a warm feeling about you.
Pick one topic that customers struggle with. Invite five of them to a one-hour session, online or in person, and teach it with a simple exercise.
Stay up to date
Knowledge ages quickly, and a teacher who stops learning teaches mistakes. Staying up to date is a form of respect. It keeps your advice fresh and safe.
Set aside thirty minutes each week to read or watch something new in your field. Write down one idea to share with a customer.
Share credit with others
A good teacher does not claim every idea as their own. Sharing credit shows that learning comes from many places. People trust someone who is generous with praise.
This week, name the person who taught you something when you pass it on to a customer. Thank them as well, if you can.
Teach the "why" behind your advice
Advice without a reason feels like an order. A reason turns it into understanding. When the customer knows why, they can think, agree, or disagree, and they own the choice.
Next time you give advice, add the word ‘because’ and one clear reason. Then ask, ‘Does that make sense for you?’
Teach with a clear lesson plan
Good teaching has a simple shape: what we will learn, the main ideas, an example and a summary. A customer who knows where you are going feels calm. A short plan also keeps you clear.
Before your next explanation, write four lines: the goal, two main points, one example and one summary sentence. Follow them.
Teach with analogies
An analogy explains something new by comparing it to something familiar. ‘A contract is like the rules of a game.’ It is a bridge from your world into the customer’s.
Pick one hard idea from your work. Find a comparison from daily life, such as cooking, driving or sport, and try it in your next explanation.
Use pictures and simple diagrams
A simple sketch can explain what ten sentences cannot. You do not need to be an artist. Drawing while you talk also slows you down, which helps people follow.
Choose one idea you often explain. Draw it with three boxes and two arrows, and use it in your next meeting.
Teach one idea per message
A message with five points is read once and forgotten. A message with one idea is easy to read, remember and answer. It respects the customer’s time.
For one week, send messages that teach only one idea each. Put the idea in the first line, and end with one simple question.
Run a Q and A session
A Q and A session is teaching in reverse. Customers ask, and you answer. People see how you handle hard questions, and trust grows quickly.
Invite a few customers to a thirty-minute online session where they can ask anything about your field. Collect questions in advance, too.
Write a short how-to guide
A how-to guide gives clear steps, in order, with no extra words. A customer who follows your steps and succeeds will remember you with warmth.
Pick one task your customers often struggle with. Write the steps in five to seven short lines, test them on a colleague, and share the guide.
Record a short video lesson
A short video lets a customer learn from you at any time. They see your face and hear your voice, which builds trust fast. A phone, a quiet room and one clear idea are enough.
Record a three-minute video on one customer question, using your phone in a quiet room. Share it with one customer, and ask what they thought.
Teach in person at their office
Teaching face to face on the customer’s own ground is powerful. You see their tools and their team, and they see you made the effort. A lesson using their real files is instantly useful.
Offer one customer a short visit to teach a skill using their own files or tools. Ask for thirty minutes, and bring one clear idea.
Teach their team, not only the buyer
The person who signs is rarely the only person who matters. Teach the users, managers and finance team, and the whole company understands. Success becomes shared.
Ask your main contact, ‘Who else would benefit from a short explanation?’ Offer a thirty-minute session for that group.
Teach what to look out for
Most customers do not know what to watch for. An expert does. When you tell them what to look out for, you give them your eyes. It shows you care about their safety.
List the three things that a buyer in your field should always check. Share the list with a customer, even when they are comparing you to others.
Teach common mistakes to avoid
Learning from other people’s mistakes is cheaper than learning from your own. You have seen the same errors many times. Telling customers saves them real pain.
Write down the three mistakes you see most often in your field. Share one with a customer this week, with a simple way to avoid it.
Teach how to compare options
Customers often compare only on price. A good teacher shows them what really matters and how to score each option. They leave with a skill, not just an answer.
Write a simple five-line comparison sheet for your field. Offer it to a customer who is choosing between providers, including you.
Teach the basics without talking down
Teaching the basics helps new customers, but nobody likes to be talked down to. Assume the customer is smart but new to this topic. Explain with care, and let them set the pace.
Next time you explain a basic idea, begin with, ‘You may know some of this already.’ Then watch their face, and adjust.
Check understanding kindly
Many customers nod politely while understanding little. A kind check gives them permission to say they are lost, without shame. ‘What would you like me to explain again?’
After each key point in your next meeting, ask, ‘Does that make sense so far?’ If it does not, say it a different way.
Teach through case reviews
A case review walks through a real situation: the problem, what was tried, what worked and what did not. Customers compare it to their own situation and learn from it.
Choose one real case with a clear lesson. Prepare a five-minute review, with permission, and share it with a customer in a similar situation.
Give homework that helps
A small, useful task can make learning stick. ‘Before we meet again, try this one thing.’ The customer comes back with real results to discuss.
After your next lesson, give one ten-minute task, such as ‘list your three biggest costs’. Ask what they noticed at your next contact.
Teach at their pace
Every learner has a speed. Teach too fast and you lose the thoughtful one. Teach too slowly and you lose the quick one. Watch their face, and adjust.
In your next explanation, pause after each point and watch their face. Slow down if they frown, and speed up if they nod early.
Teach honestly about your own product's limits
An honest teacher also teaches the limits of their own product. Customers who hear the limits from you trust the strengths. It saves everyone trouble later.
Write down three things your product does not do well. Include one of them in your next explanation, with who it suits better.
Teach newcomers in your field
Your field was once new to you, too. Teaching newcomers is one of the kindest things an expert can do. Today’s beginner is tomorrow’s customer, partner or friend.
Offer a thirty-minute chat to one newcomer in your field this month. Share the three things you wish you had known at the start.
Learn from your students
Good teachers learn from their students. Every question shows what needs explaining better. Customers are your best teachers about how to teach them.
After your next lesson, ask the customer, ‘What was unclear, and what would have helped more?’ Write down the answers.
Build a library of lessons
Over time, you teach many things. If you save each lesson, you build a library that is ready to share. ‘I have something that helps with exactly that’ is a powerful moment.
Create one folder for your best lessons. Save the last three explanations you gave, with a clear name for each.
Use a newsletter as a classroom
A short, regular newsletter is a classroom that comes to your customers. One lesson, in their inbox. It must teach, not sell, so they open the next one.
Plan a three-issue newsletter. Each issue: one idea, one example, one action. Send the first to ten customers.
Speak at local events
Speaking at a local event puts you in front of many people at once. They see how you think and how you treat questions. Teach, do not sell, and people will come to you.
Offer a fifteen-minute talk on one useful topic to a local business group or club. Prepare one story, one tip and one question for the room.
Write plain explanations of hard topics
Some topics scare customers: contracts, taxes, technology, risk. If you can explain one in plain words, you become a hero. A clear written explanation can help hundreds of people.
Pick one topic that scares your customers. Write a half-page explanation in plain words with one example, and ask a non-expert to read it.
Turn customer questions into lessons
Every question a customer asks can become a lesson. If one person asks, ten others are wondering. Your inbox and phone calls are a stream of lesson ideas.
Start a list of customer questions. This week, turn the most common one into a short written answer or a one-minute video.
Teach with humility
The greatest teachers are humble. They say, ‘I may be wrong’ and ‘Let us find out together.’ Humility does not weaken your authority. It strengthens it.
In your next lesson, say once, ‘I may be wrong about this, so please tell me if it does not match your experience.’ Then listen.
Easy things to say
When you are stuck, pick one of these. They work in many sales conversations.
“Let me explain how this works in plain words.”
“Here is a simple example.”
“Does that make sense so far?”
“There are three options, and here are the pros and cons.”
“Thank you for the great questions.”
“I am happy to share a short guide.”
Your first week
One small action a day. Each day is only a little bigger than the last.
List five things customers often misunderstand
Write simple explanations
Share one in a conversation
Create a one-page guide
Hold a short workshop
Ask what confused them
Improve one explanation
Further reading
- How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
- The Go-Giver (Bob Burg and John David Mann)
- The Trusted Advisor (David Maister and others)
The tips above are written in our own words and are general guidance. The books are suggestions for further reading.
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Start freeThese lessons share general learning and everyday ideas. They are not medical or mental health advice. If you feel very anxious, low or unwell, please talk to a doctor or a qualified professional.
More lessons in “Build Trust That Lasts”
Keep going. Small steps every day make a big change.
← Previous: Keep Promises Small and RealNext: Give Free Value That Matters →
- Smile Like You Mean It
- Use Their Name the Right Way
- Find Common Ground Fast
- Match Their Pace and Energy
- Small Talk That Opens Doors
- Be Interested, Not Just Interesting
- The First Five Minutes Checklist
- Do What You Say You Will Do
- Be Honest About What You Cannot Do
- Share Bad News Early
- Admit a Mistake and Fix It Fast
- Give Before You Ask
- Show Proof Instead of Making Claims
- Keep Promises Small and Real
- Be an Expert Who Teaches
- Give Free Value That Matters
- Recommend What Is Right, Even If It Is Smaller
- Tell Customers What You Would Do
- Be Independent and Honest
- Think Long Term, Not This Month
- Make Customers Smarter
- Open Posture, Open Mind
- The Right Amount of Eye Contact
- A Voice That Feels Safe
- Mirror Without Mimicking
- Dress for the Customer You Serve
- Make Video Calls Feel Personal
- Read Signs of Discomfort
- Remember the Small Details
- Send the Unexpected Thank-You
- Check In Without Selling
- Celebrate Their Wins
- Introduce People to Each Other
- Build a Simple Relationship System
- What to Do When You Make a Mistake
- A Sincere Apology That Works
- Turn an Angry Customer Into a Fan
- Rebuild Trust After a Missed Deadline
- When a Customer Doubts You
- Rise Above Gossip and Reviews
